Harsh words from Ekrem İmamoğlu to Vedat Işıkhan! 'Incompetent minister...'

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu spoke at the introduction of the Şişli Kitchen, which the Şişli Municipality offers to those in need.

Recalling the instruction of AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan to "shake up the municipalities," İmamoğlu said, "This concept of shaking up municipalities, or being described by that attitude in quotation marks, will be absolutely punished in the conscience of the nation, in the mind of the nation, in the soul of the nation, and in that perspective of the nation that I believe in its sense of justice."

"INCOMPETENT MINISTER..."

Reacting to the statement made by Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan regarding the SGK debts of CHP-run municipalities, İmamoğlu said, "He says he will deduct the SGK debts of the municipalities from the source. Well done, he got a medal now. Another minister got a medal. What a great job he accomplished, right? He proved himself. To whom? Not to the nation, but to one person," he said. İmamoğlu commented on Işıkhan as an "incompetent minister."

Issuing warnings to the AKP, İmamoğlu stated, "If you behave like this, you won't even have any municipalities left in Turkey. You won't have any municipalities to govern; this nation will not give you authority as long as you behave like this."

"THIS MENTALITY MUST LEAVE THE HEAD OF THIS COUNTRY"

Emphasizing, "I hope we get rid of this poverty," İmamoğlu said, "There is only one way to do this. I am saying it very clearly. This mentality must leave the head of this country. It will not improve otherwise. Because the issue is not just the economy alone, dear friends. It is managing the economy well. It is possible with reason, science, technique, and by not moving away from these, and by acting accordingly. But at the same time, justice. The economy is also justice. The economy is also reputation. The economy is also an approach that respects public culture. It is being away from partisanship. The economy is all of these. When these are all good, the economy becomes good."

Highlights from İmamoğlu's statements are as follows:

REACTION FROM İMAMOĞLU TO IŞIKHAN: "WELL DONE, HE GOT A MEDAL"

"I cannot fit this into any of my managerial spirits. I mean, as the Mayor of Istanbul, I would say, 'Go shake up this district municipality with a different political party, or go do this to that district mayor.' Is this said? This is not said. I mean, does one talk about a method of punishment, a personal, individual action regarding the management of institutions belonging to the nation, with the nation's property being protected? For example, I read the big, miraculous statement of the minister he told to 'shake up,' the Minister of Labor and Social Security, today while coming here.

He says he will deduct the SGK debts of the municipalities from the source. Well done, he got a medal now. Another minister got a medal. What a great job he accomplished, right? He proved himself. To whom? Not to the nation, but to one person.

While he continues to prove himself to one person, we will continue to prove ourselves to our nation with our friends and continue to be worthy of our nation.

So what should be done? What should be done? Let's have a dialogue with my dear brother, Mayor Emrah. I mean, when I say to my Mayor Emrah, 'Do it like this,' my Mayor Emrah should do the exact opposite. That is the virtuous manager. What is that opposite? He should act justly. He should be able to say, 'No, I cannot do that. I will not. This office, this position belongs neither to you nor to me.'

A strong manager, a manager with character is that. One who does the opposite is not a manager worthy of his nation, cannot be. It is that clear."

"WHICH MUNICIPALITIES? CHP-RUN MUNICIPALITIES..."

He says he will deduct from the source. Whose source? The nation's source. Whose money will you deduct? The municipalities'. Which municipalities? Especially the CHP-run municipalities. Because let us remind you how they transfer money to others.

Do not forget these, my dear friends, my precious fellow citizens. Before the election, before the election, by choosing and sending money to their own AK Party municipalities, by sending money from the Presidency's discretionary fund for election campaigns, over 1 billion liras, that is, a donation.

It is not being repaid, look. Those SGK debts existed in those municipalities back then too. What is their only concern? Work, win the election against Ekrem İmamoğlu. From the Presidency's discretionary fund. They even left out their own MHP-allied municipality.

"AN INCOMPETENT MINISTER MAKES SUCH A STATEMENT"

So partisan, so irrational. That is why they think the source they use and manage is their own personal source.

That is why an incompetent minister stands up and makes such a statement regarding the SGK debt. He will deduct it from the source. A big job. A big job. We will expose every reckless behavior of yours to the nation.

You would think they will solve all the problems of the economy by deducting from our SGK debts. You would think they will solve the minimum wage they gave to our nation, which they left in a pitiful state, for our nation to be even more miserable, by collecting SGK debts.

Whereas the debts of the municipalities are not even 2 percent of the SGK's annual turnover. It is a shame. Furthermore, let us state again that each of these in Turkey, this debt is the debt of all municipalities, not just the CHP-run municipalities.

"IF YOU BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU WILL HAVE NO MUNICIPALITIES LEFT"

When you look at it as statistics, all parties are included in this. But I keep saying, if you behave like this, you won't even have any municipalities left in Turkey. You won't have any municipalities to govern; this nation will not give you authority as long as you behave like this.

I can feel that even many of our mayors, who are the most AK Party-aligned, virtuous, of course moral, of course with a working conscience, and carrying the scales of justice in their souls, condemn all these attitudes and behaviors, even if they cannot say it with their tongues.

They condemn these. I mean, I know that mayors condemn them internally, saying, 'Are you being hostile to us, or are you doing us a favor?' There are 3-4 of them attacking me from various parts of Turkey. They are assigned officials. They give them the texts. 'Insult Ekrem like this. Insult Ekrem like that.' They think I will respond to their insults.

I won't even consider them interlocutors. I won't even consider them interlocutors, no, I accept it. Because they are not their words. I place them within the framework of innocence to that extent. They are not their words. I feel sorry for them, I pity them. One day, I will try to pass my good spirit to them by patting their backs in their pitiful state.

What else can I do? What can I do? They are actually continuing to punish our citizens, not us, but we will continue to produce services despite everything.

We will not get stuck on obstacles, we will do our job."

WHAT HAD IŞIKHAN SAID?

Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işık had stated, "They have started to apply to the SGK. This is a positive development and our goal was in this direction. However, I would like to state that we will collect the debts of every municipality that has not yet taken a step from the source."

News Source: 12punto